Update: This was originally written on September 14, 2013, and Google has made some changes to the functionality of Google Plus, including the do follow links functionality.
Here is a nifty, simple search engine optimization trick that I bet you didn’t know. There is actually a way to make sure that the links you post in Google+ are considered to be “do follow” links. I am not sure if Google has done this on purpose, but some links that are posted in Google Plus are automatically tagged with a nofollow link attribute, meaning that there is not any search engine optimization value added to the link.
But, if you use my simple “trick” below, you will actually be able to make all of the links you post in Google+ “do follow” links, potentially passing some search engine optimization “value” on to the site you’re linking to. Here is how to do that.
To show this, I have turned on a Firefox add-on that shows whether or not a link is “nofollow” or not. If the link is a “nofollow” link (if it has the “nofollow” attribute added to it, then the link appears to be highlighted in red. You’ll notice that the link below is highlighted in red. It is a “nofollow” link:
Click on the image above it in order to enlarge it. You’ll notice in the screen capture above that the link to Ruud Hein’s profile and the slate.com URL is highlighted in red. Those are “nofollow” links.
Now, take a look at the link I posted on Google Plus below. Notice that the link is NOT highlighted in red, it is actually a dofollow link:
Again, click on the image above to make it bigger. You will notice that the “Cherokee Letter” link to my blog post is not highlighted in red. It’s a “dofollow” link, meaning that any search engine optimization value is passed on to the blog post!
Here is how to make sure that your links posted in Google Plus are dofollow links. It’s pretty simple. But many people overlook this. They tend to just copy and paste a URL in the Google Plus post field in order to share it. Instead of copying and pasting the URL, you need to click on the “add link” icon and actually paste the URL into the field provided. If you just copy and paste a URL into the post, then your link is going to be a nofollow link.
Click on the icon below to make your links dofollow links on Google Plus:
Then, post the URL in the field to make it a dofollow link on Google+.
Don’t forget to add me on Google+.
Read What I’ve Written About Google+
How to Create a Google+ Page For Your Business
How to Get Your Google+ Posts Indexed in Google
Google Buys Illegal +.com Domain Name
Google Stops Indexing Google+ Posts
Why You Should Use Google+
How to Remove Circle Counts on Google+
How to Promote Your Personal Brand on Google+
Are Google+ and +1 Changing Web Marketing?
How to Increase Your Followers on Google+
